It Started With a Crystal
by Aria6
Summary: In Hueco Mundo, Shunsui and Juushiro accidentally fall into a rather deadly trap. Two hollows help them out, but at a price. Shunsui/Juushiro, and a next generation will be involved! Not mpreg.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Sorry if I'm bouncing around a bit. I'm running on about five hours of sleep a night. It's hard to concentrate on anything for very long.

"Hey, look at that!"

Juushiro panted softly, trying not to move. His best friend, Kyoraku Shunsui, had not been so mindful. He was unconscious now and Juushiro only hoped he wasn't going to die. From the hot blood that was running down his side, he very well might.

"Oh my gosh that looks painful." Juushiro tried to look up through foggy eyes. To his slight horror, he saw two bony heads looking down at him. "Should we do something?" That was voice was high in timber and sounded concerned. Juushiro was vaguely surprised that a hollow would feel compassion for them.

"Like what?" The other voice was a lovely contralto, warm and fuzzy. It was also more practical than the soprano. "They're just a couple of shinigami. And besides, we'd kill ourselves getting them out of there." Juushiro was afraid that was true. The horrible crystalline trap they'd accidentally fallen into was, well, horrible. His whole body felt lacerated.

"Please." He managed to call to them, his voice a fading rasp. "Please… help us…" He saw the two hollows exchange a glance.

"Maybe if we go down from the left?" The soprano suggested after a moment and the contralto voice sighed.

"I don't know… maybe if we're careful. But they're buried so deep now, the damned things must have shifted. Not even papi can break those wretched things without hurting himself." She said and there was a pause. "Stop looking at me like that! What do you want them for anyway? There's easier meals to be had."

"…I want to fuck a shinigami!" The soprano suddenly said and Juushiro would have choked if hadn't been so desperately trying not to move. Right now, he thought he would be more than willing to have sex with a hollow if it would just save his and Shunsui's lives. "I've never done that! Papi has, remember? I want to see what it's like!" There was a moment of silence from the other.

"You just got my attention. Let's do this." There was a small shower of rocks and Juushiro felt some cautious hope. Maybe, just maybe, they would get out of this alive.

He couldn't really see what the two hollows were doing but he heard plenty of dainty, feminine curses. 'Poop' seemed to be a favorite. So did 'fig' and 'waffledanger', which was not something he'd ever heard before. Finally, though, he was being gently eased out of his crystalline prison. That action left more horrible scores on his back but he was still unutterably grateful.

"This one's in deeper." The contralto voice said and Juushiro turned desperately to look at Shunsui. "Is he even alive?"

"I'll crawl in to get him." The soprano was determined and Juushiro saw she was a hollow covered in blueish bone. It shaded to white on her joints and chest. Her face was uncovered except for a band of bone across her chin and another on her forehead. He couldn't see much of her face but the hair behind her was as white as his own and looked silky smooth. As she crawled into the crystals he saw she had a white, silky tail and her feet were hooves. She seemed to be a horse type hollow.

"Oh be careful." The other urged and he turned his head to look at her. Her bone was reddish, shading to white in the same way as her sister. Instead of a small band of bone, though, she had a full face mask decorated with a few slashes of red on her forehead. Bright blue eyes looked out at him and her hair was a gorgeous, cornflower gold. "Those crystals are vicious. However did you end up in there?"

"We – we were just walking over the ground. Using shunpo." He said, feeling faint. The vasto lorde began ripping up a bit of his clothing for bandages, which was helpful. Juushiro didn't have the strength to stop the bleeding himself. "Suddenly we were knocked out of it and the ground caved in…" He'd never experienced anything like it. The female nodded sympathetically.

"You wouldn't know. The ground here is so very treacherous. I'll show you later but we have a safe path marked out. Those crystals, they warp any energy near them. They'll knock you out of sonido and disable hierro and the horrible things are razor sharp!" She shuddered dramatically and he nodded, closing his eyes. He'd definitely noticed. "Vasto lorde have died on them before. Papi taught us about them and showed us a way to scout them, I'll show you that too. But what are you doing here?"

"Trying to find information…" Juushiro sighed softly. It seemed like a stupid thing to send two taichou for, but when they'd sent some seated officers they hadn't come back. He'd volunteered to go look and then Shunsui had tagged along, leaving Nanao to handle his Division. "Aizen put an observation base in the mountains. We need to retrieve whatever he kept there." He explained and the hollow giggled, to his surprise.

"You can try! But when we heard Aizen was gone, all the vasto lorde came back to the mountains." She said and Juushiro stared. All? They had always thought the super powerful hollows were incredibly rare, which was why Aizen had only found a few for his forces. "That thing got done over first thing! You might find something we missed but I doubt it."

"Got him!" They both looked over at that triumphant cry. The blue and white hollow was dragging Shunsui out of the crystal patch and Juushiro's heart clenched at the massive blood trail he was leaving behind. "…I'm afraid he might be dead." She said and he gasped, pulling himself up despite the agony in his body.

"No! He can't be. Shunsui…!" The red hollow gripped him, but to help, not hinder. He gripped her arm as he sank down beside the limp body of his best friend. Shunsui was so pale and still. Frantically reaching out with his hands and power, Juushiro found a pulse of life. But it was thready and weak, quickly failing with every beat of his heart. Summoning healing power, he gasped as he felt that heart falter. "No…!"

But his zanpakuto's power was both water and lightning. As the two hollows worked to staunch the worst of the bleeding, with both hands and something almost like kido, Juushiro summoned his shikai. As Shunsui's heart stuttered and stopped, he used a touch of their power to force that failing organ to beat. His best friend's body jolted at that power and one of the hollows cursed, but he ignored them, his eyes fixed on the body in front of him. He had to save Shunsui. He had to!

He did. It took a while but he sobbed as he felt that heartbeat steady, the pulse of life under his hands growing stronger. The hollows had a lot to do with it too… their healing power was not anything near to Unohana's, but it was enough.

"That was tough. Is he going to live now, do you think?" The blue one said uncertainly as the red one shrugged.

"If he doesn't get infected he'll be fine. But he's not going to be going anywhere under his own power for a while, that's for sure." She said practically and Juushiro swallowed, looking at them again. He tried to evaluate their power and winced. They weren't as strong as he and Shunsui… when they were well. At the moment, Shunsui was unconscious and he was badly drained. He would have no hope of success against them. "Didn't you bring any food?" She asked and Juushiro looked into the crystals. "Oh. Right."

"We can feed them on our own reiatsu if we have to!" The blue one said and the red one made a small, uncertain sound. Juushiro frowned, wondering how that would work. They were hollows… but they were vasto lorde, the final itineration of hollow evolution. "Or we can go to Soul Society or the Living world and steal some food for them."

"I like that better. Can we move this one? Nevermind, we have to." The red one said before looking at him assessingly. "Can you walk? If you can't we'll need to make two trips."

"I…" Juushiro considered his physical condition for a moment before coming to a disagreeable conclusion. "I can't. I'm sorry." He said faintly, wishing he could pass out. He was still in immense pain. Hands touched him and he sighed as he felt a gentle healing infusion. It felt good, even coming from a hollow.

"Hmm. I'll stay here with this one while you get him to the den. Then when he's safe you can come back and help me with this one." The red one said and the blue one nodded. Juushiro really looked at her face, for the first time. She had very fine, aristocratic features. Her skin and hair were both dead white and her eyes were black and gold. She knelt beside him and he blinked stupidly at her for a moment before realizing what she was offering. He gingerly gripped her and she lifted him up easily, carrying him piggyback. Then she took off in a burst of sonido. He closed his eyes, letting it happen. He had nothing left to resist with.

The vasto lorde brought him to her den, which was a cave in the stone. He was going to collapse on the cold stone floor, but she gently chivvied him into a side cavern. That place actually had blankets, old and worn and oddly comfortable, despite the strong hollow scent. Juushiro fell into them and was hardly aware of it as the hollow left.

His body was spent. There was nothing more to give.

* * *

When he woke up again he was rather puzzled.

He was warm and comfortable, but Juushiro instantly knew he was not in his bed. No, he was somewhere else. There was something warm yet unyielding behind him and a very familiar scent in front of him…

The second was what truly woke him. Juushiro had dreamed about sleeping with Shunsui and waking to that warm, slightly spicy, very masculine scent. But until this moment it had never happened. He opened his eyes and saw Kyoraku's face in profile, his mouth slightly open as he snored lightly. Juushiro smiled, tears building in his eyes. His best friend was very definitely alive. He could feel the strong pulse of his reiatsu and reached out to gently touch his hand. The snore stuttered and grey eyes opened, blinking for a moment for the head turned to look at him.

"Oh, Juu." Shunsui's voice was soft and a touch raspy, no doubt from the pain he'd suffered. "Are you alright?" He asked and Juushiro smiled at him, gently squeezing his hand.

"I'm fine. How are you?" He asked and Shunsui swallowed before reaching for something. It was a small cup of some kind of liquid, up above his head. He took a small sip before offering it to him. Juushiro accepted the cup and took a drink, finding it was water. Vaguely, he wondered where it had come from. Hueco Mundo had no water and their supplies had been utterly ruined.

"Well enough, considering I think I've been hurt less by my worst enemies." His best friend said with a chuckle and Juushiro couldn't help but smile. It was too true, those crystals had very nearly done his friend in. "What's this I hear about you promising our sexual favors to a pair of hollows?" He said and Juushiro's eyes widened.

"I never said we would!" He defended himself as Shunsui smiled, looking a touch bemused. "…I just didn't say we wouldn't." He hadn't been dumb enough to refuse, given the situation they were in. Shunsui laughed softly.

"I don't think we'll be able to get out of it, Juu. They're both very strong. And did you notice they have no holes?" He asked and Juushiro blinked. He hadn't noticed that at all. "Apparently, they were born."

"What?" He asked, surprised. He'd never heard of such a thing. "Hollows can breed?" That… was worrisome.

"Apparently. And – ah." Juushiro felt something move behind him and suddenly realized what the warm yet hard thing behind him was. He turned his head to look over his shoulder and saw the face of the blue and white female. She yawned, blinking at him.

"Oh, you're both awake. I don't think I ever told you, but I'm Dulce. It means sweet." She said to him with a smile that was sweet and flirtatious. Juushiro swallowed, feeling more apprehension than anything. Not because she was a hollow, but because she was female. His last time with a woman had not been a stunning success. "My sister is Amargo. It means bitter." Juushiro glanced at Shunsui. From the smile on his face, he'd already known that. He must have woken up earlier and spoken to them.

"…Why are you so interested in mating with a pair of shinigami?" He asked and she giggled, stroking his cheek. That made him blush, particularly when Shunsui chuckled.

"Forward, aren't you? I like that." She cooed and he blushed even more, feeling like he could nosebleed at any moment. "Our papi took a shinigami woman as a mate for a while, we're interested to see if it's any different. And we want to make some pups if we can." She said cheerfully and Juushiro choked at the thought.

"Ah, I doubt it's possible. After all, you are hollows." Shunsui said easily and a warm, sleepy voice spoke from behind him.

"The spider woman thought it could happen. She used protection with papi, since she wasn't ready for a pup just then. He said he was a bit sad about that but couldn't fault her logic." Juushiro turned his head to see that Amargo had very carefully rested her cheek on Shunsui's shoulder. He was smiling down at her in a way that seemed a bit too familiar for Juushiro's peace of mind.

"Why would your father mate with a shinigami woman? And why would she mate with him?" Shunsui asked and Amargo lifted her head. It was impossible to tell her expression behind her mask of bone, but Juushiro had a strange feeling that she was smiling. Her golden hair was spread out behind her like a wave and he noticed she had the same tail and hooves as her sister.

"Well, she mated with him because she wanted a powerful minion. And he mated with her because he was young and stupid." Amargo said with a throaty laugh and Juushiro blinked. "How did he put it, Dulce?"

"Let's see if I can get this right… 'I was young and foolish and ruled by my cock. A beautiful female in distress, an epic quest for glory and all the sex I could ask for… what young male could say no?'" She said, imitating a male voice. Juushiro had no idea if it sounded like her father but it did sound very masculine. Shunsui laughed, amused.

"That does sound like a young man." He agreed and the female behind Juushiro giggled. "But I am not young, nor is Juushiro. I don't really know if I care to satisfy you." He said bluntly and the two vasto lorde looked at each other for a moment before returning his bluntness.

"Then we will eat you. It shouldn't be hard, as weakened as the two of you are." Amargo said with hollow callousness. Juushiro swallowed as Shunsui frowned. Then Dulce spoke, sounding a bit apologetic.

"I'm sorry but if we can't have sex then you're food. You can't stay so you can't be fraccion. What else can you be to us?" She asked and Juushiro couldn't think of an answer. Shunsui smiled before asking a question.

"Perhaps you could nurse us to health and let us go as a good deed?" He suggested and there was silence from the two hollows before they suddenly broke into girlish laughter. "Ah. I suggested something rather silly, did I?"

"Y-Yes. This is Hueco Mundo! Good deed?" Dulce wheezed a little with the force of her laughter. "Isn't that something from the stories papi told us as pups?"

"Yes, it's mythical." Amargo agreed. "Like that story with the thorn and the lions' foot. It doesn't happen in real life. Well, unless you meet an adjuchas who's really cracked I guess." She added thoughtfully before looking at Shunsui. "But we're not cracked and we're not doing… good deeds. If you're not interested in fucking us, let us know soon so we can eat you. I'm a bit peckish for something." She eyed him thoughtfully and the look in those bright blue eyes suddenly struck Juushiro as hungry. "But I could have something else." That hunger melted into heat and despite his reluctance, Juushiro was glad to see the change.

"Ah, well. Be eaten or satisfy two beautiful women… I think I know which I prefer!" Shunsui said cheerfully and Juushiro swallowed, deeply concerned about his performance. Would the hollows eat him if he couldn't…? Then there was a hand on him and he realized he was about to find out.

A beautiful, warm and musky smell began to fill the air. Some kind of natural pheromone? Whatever it was, it was not enough to arouse him. Juushiro tried though, he honestly did. He closed his eyes and envisioned the last man he'd had sex with. It had been so long ago… he could feel his cock beginning to harden as a warm tongue suddenly swiped it. He gasped, his eyes flying open, but that destroyed the illusion. The hollow paused in what she was doing as she registered his trouble.

"What's wrong? This isn't because I'm a hollow, is it? Your friend isn't having problems." She glanced at Shunsui. Amargo was sucking him off, as he gripped her golden hair. To Juushiro's shock, he saw that the bone had partly melted from her face, revealing very full lips and just a hint of jaw. Did these two have some control over their bone? It looked like they did. Then he flushed as he saw the turgid length those lips were encasing, the look on Shunsui's face as he was given a very accomplished blow job. His own breathing shortened and he felt his body react as he looked on his best friend in the throes of passion. "….Ohhhh. It's like that. You like boys, don't you? And you like him." She whispered in his ear and he blushed furiously. That question was entirely too accurate. "That's fine. We can both fuck him while you watch, and then… maybe I'll help you have him." She purred in his ear and Juushiro swallowed, wondering how she planned to do that. And did he want her to? Some horrible, desperate part of him certainly did.

What happened next was impressive. Juushiro got to watch as Dulce straddled Kyoraku's face, putting his mouth between her thighs. From the gasps and small cries she made, his tongue was talented. Not that Juushiro would have thought otherwise, given how many lovers Shunsui had had over the years. Amargo let go of his cock so she could move up, gripping the firm flesh carefully in a clawed hand before lowering herself onto that thick piece of meat. Juushiro swallowed hard as he watched that body moving up and down on his best friend's length, claiming him in a way he'd only dreamed of.

The soft moans and the sounds of sex were amazing, but it was the image that his best friend presented that riveted Juushiro's attention to the scene in front of him. Shunsui was enjoying himself, he could see that even with Dulce's body in the way. And the way Amargo was riding him… Juushiro could easily imagine that thick cock inside himself, imagine how it would feel. And he wanted to be there. He swallowed thickly, taking in the languorous expression on Shunsui's face, the heavy lidded gaze he was directing towards the blue vasto lorde. Kami, how he wished it was him receiving that look!

It took quite a while, but the end came as he watched. Dulce was the first to cum, tossing her head back as she gripped Shunsui's hair, her body flexing and trembling as she found her release. Then Amargo found her moment of pleasure and Juushiro could see as Shunsui followed, his eyes tightly closing for a moment as his body jerked in the throes of orgasm. He gasped, realizing his hakama felt far too confining. As Dulce moved off of Shunsui's face he saw a fine line of liquid there, a bit of feminine dew, running into that beard. His best friend licked it away and he swallowed hard at the sight.

"Did you know your friend likes men?" Dulce asked sweetly and Juushiro froze as Shunsui's eyes widened. Not once, in all the thousand years they'd been friends, had he discussed his sexuality with Shunsui. In fact, he'd even gone on a few dates to keep him in the dark. "And did you know he likes you?" Shunsui's head turned and Juushiro couldn't keep his expression under control. No, all the guilt and pain and longing was written all over his face. Shunsui read the truth there as easy as reading a book.

"Oh kami. Juu, do you really?" He said, his voice shocked yet surprisingly warm. Juushiro hesitated before nodding. "Why didn't you say something?" He pushed himself up, wincing at his half healed injuries. Dulce helped him a bit as he knelt beside his fellow taichou. Juushiro felt his breathing come short as he met those grey eyes, so close to his own. "Why Juu?" Shunsui's hand reached out to stroke his cheek and he swallowed before managing to speak.

"I – I couldn't jeopardize our friendship." He said huskily, meeting his best friend's eyes. The look there was… disappointed? "I care for you too much. Please Shunsui, just be my friend. That's all I want." Well, that wasn't true. He wanted more but he was resigned to not having it. Shunsui's lips twisted slightly before he spoke.

"Would it surprise you to know I have had a male lover or two in my day?" He said and Juushiro really was surprised. He flushed as Shunsui laughed, seeing that on his face. "And I always imagined they were you, before banishing the fantasy. Because I knew you would never be interested." He said softly and Juushiro's eyes widened. "It seems we've both been fools, eh?" He murmured and Juushiro opened his mouth to speak before warm lips sealed over his. Shunsui's lips were warm and a little chapped, still tasting slightly sweet, like the hollow that had ridden him. But Juushiro didn't care in the least. All he wanted was more of his best friend, the man he had secretly loved for almost a thousand years. He melted against Shunsui, just savoring the moment.

Then warm lips tickled him just beneath his ear and Juushiro felt that warm yet hard bone pressing against his back. He still didn't know how the hollows intended to do this but he knew they wanted him, not just Shunsui. Shunsui lifted his head with a slightly puzzled look and Amargo nuzzled him from behind before she explained.

"It's not the first time we've had a male like that. You take him while he takes my sister. I'll watch." She purred and Shunsui's lips curved into a smile that seemed full of promises to the stunned Juushiro. Could that really…? But it probably would. How could he not be aroused with Shunsui making love to him?

"A good idea. If you don't mind, Juu?" He asked, grey eyes meeting brown for a moment. Juushiro took a deep breath before nodding.

"That would be fine." In fact, he was rather looking forward to it. Something he had longed for, for so long… he didn't really care if these female hollows were involved. It was still a dream come true. And that was how he ended up on top of Dulce, gently kissing her as Shunsui tried to open him up. It was slightly painful, they didn't have any lubrication… or so he thought.

"You need something to make that smoother. Use this." Amargo suggested, her tone warm and insinuating. Juushiro looked over and blushed as he saw she was touching her sex, spreading the dewy lips. There was plenty of her own natural lubrication, as well as Shunsui's semen there. He laughed and gently spread those lips, gathering up the fluid as Juushiro blushed furiously. He wasn't a virgin but his best friend and these hollows were making him feel like it. Then Shunsui's hand was back at his opening and he groaned softly. It did feel much better now, with far more than spit to help those big fingers spread him open.

"Shunsui…" He murmured, hiding his face in Dulce's hair. She giggled, nuzzling him playfully. "Oh kami." He gasped as those fingers found his prostate, lovingly stroking that sensitive spot. Then warm lips kissed his neck, whiskers rubbing against his skin. That was pure heaven. Shunsui was really doing this to him.

"Are you ready Juu?" He sounded so concerned. Juushiro nodded before adjusting himself. Dulce helped him, aligning her body with him. Normally he wasn't attracted to women and that hadn't changed, but with Shunsui inside him… yes, he could do this, and enjoy it. His breathing quickened with anticipation.

The feeling of Shunsui entering his body was beyond compare. Juushiro gasped as his body fought to accommodate his friend's girth. He wasn't a virgin but he hadn't experienced this for quite some time. Shunsui's gasp in his ear made him tremble with need. The feel of his best friend inside him, the man he'd longed for, for so long… then Shunsui thrust into him deeply and Juushiro cried out as his body was pushed into Dulce's. The wet heat surrounding him, the feel of that hard length inside him… he'd never experienced a threesome before in his life but suddenly, Juushiro saw the charm.

He closed his eyes, just enjoying the experience as Shunsui rode him and he rode the hollow in turn. Dulce was panting, her body so hard yet yielding beneath him. Juushiro opened his eyes to see she was touching herself. The bone on her nipples had vanished, revealing the shockingly white skin. Lowering his face, he took one of those pert little nubs into his mouth, rolling the firm flesh against his tongue. The vasto lorde gasped, her head falling back as her eyes closed for a moment, an expression of bliss on her face. That combined with the feel of Shunsui's powerful body behind him, filling him, the wonderful scent of his best friend. Warm lips caressed his throat and Juushiro whimpered, tormented in front and behind.

Hands, both bone covered and exquisitely careful, and warm and alive, explored his body as he came closer and closer, the pleasure building in his loins. Juushiro was vaguely aware that he was gasping Shunsui's name, saying things he really shouldn't, but he just couldn't care. All that mattered was this transcendent moment in time.

The moment came to an end in a wave of pleasure, deep and intense. Juushiro's eyes were wide and unseeing as he felt the hollow under him cry out, her insides tightening sharply around him. But what really held him was the feel of Shunsui inside him, taking him harder and faster before he cried out, his voice rising in a ragged shout. Juushiro felt intense satisfaction that the sound was for him, not some random girl of the night. No, this was for him.

"That looked like fun." Amargo purred and Shunsui looked toward her as Juushiro gasped, feeling like he might faint. "I can't wait for my turn… but not tonight, I think." She said with a soft laugh and Shunsui chuckled.

"No, I'm not a young man. And my injuries…" He pulled away and Juushiro looked up to see the red hollow there, helping him. "Ah, thank you." He murmured and she nodded.

"I understand. You have a long ways to go before you recover. Dulce! No sleeping." She said to her sister as Juushiro pulled away from her. The blue hollow opened her eyes, murmuring something soft and confused. "We need to make a garganta to Soul Society. They need food and water. Up! Up, up up!"

"Ohhh. Right…" She stirred, flopping over a bit before she climbed unsteadily to her feet. "Just sleep. No one would dare come near our den. We're not as scary as our papi but we have a reputation." She said and Shunsui nodded. Juushiro could hardly keep his eyes open, curling up beside his best friend and now lover. He quickly fell asleep, feeling deeply satisfied.


	2. Wisdom of the Vasto Lorde

The next day.

"Hey, I've got you food!" Amargo's voice came through the door to the den and Shunsui sat up with a small wince. Juushiro watched him worriedly. His own injuries were healing much faster than Shunsui's but he hadn't been on death's door. They were both extremely hungry. Dulce had come back with some food but it just hadn't worked.

"Ah, really? What is it?" Shunsui asked with a smile but Juushiro could tell his hopes weren't high. They were both quite surprised as Amargo tore open a bag and offered them… boxes of take out? Juushiro took his and opened it, his eyes widening as he took in the boxes of sushi and sashimi, complete with wasabi and pickled ginger. "Oh heavens! Thank you!" Shunsui sounded equally stunned and Amargo laughed throatily.

"You sound so happy. Whatever did Dulce bring you?" She said merrily and her sister hissed.

"I just… people were eating these! How was I supposed to know they have to be cooked?" She asked, waving the sweet potato she'd gathered. Amargo looked at it then at her sister, tilting her head to one side.

"What's the problem? We can use our ceros to sear things." She said and Dulce hissed again as Juushiro dug into his sushi, ignoring them slightly in favor of sustenance. Shunsui was doing the same. After the healing and their exertions, they were both exhausted.

"That doesn't work! They need to cook for a long time at a lower temperature. I mean, that's what Juushiro said." She said, utterly vexed and he nodded. There was nothing much to burn in Hueco Mundo so the problem seemed insurmountable. Amargo considered the matter for a long moment before speaking.

"Heat up some rocks with your cero, then bury those things in them." She suggested and Dulce stared at the tuber as Shunsui swallowed a bit of sushi, surprised. Juushiro blinked, wondering why he hadn't thought of that. "Keep heating the rocks until they're done."

"Sis, you're brilliant!" Dulce immediately set about doing that. Juushiro smiled, amused, as he set about filling the empty hole in his stomach.

"How did you get this?" Shunsui asked, which was an interesting question. Amargo sat down and began combing out her pelt of golden hair with her claws as she answered.

"I looked around for a bit and saw a place that smelled like food. People would walk up, get a box and leave. So I walked up and told the guy there that I'm a hollow and hungry, and it's either him or two boxes of his food. He couldn't get me out of there fast enough." She sounded smug and Shunsui shook his head with a smile as Juushiro laughed. He knew he probably shouldn't be amused by such theft, but it was certainly better than the alternative. "Did Dulce get the water like she was supposed to?"

"Yes, she did that." They had two jugs of water now, which was plenty. "How long will you be keeping us here?" Juushiro asked, feeling very worried. The hollow just laughed.

"Don't worry! We'll hold to our bargain. Although perhaps we should flesh that out? We'll keep you here and you'll satisfy us for, hmm, four sleeps. That should be long enough for your friend to get better." She said and Juushiro glanced at Shunsui, meeting his gaze. His friend looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. That was about how long he thought his own healing would take. "Then we'll show you the crystal fields and how to avoid them before escorting you to that outpost you wanted to look at. Although I'm warning you, it's totally trashed. Let me show you…" She reached for something before pulling it over her head and dropping it onto her chest. Juushiro stared as Shunsui choked a little. "Pretty, no? I made it."

"It's… it's lovely." Shunsui said faintly as Juushiro's hopes for their mission blew out in a cloud of smoke. The necklace the vasto lorde was wearing was made of red wire, clearly scavenged from a computer. The little circuits that had been so artistically crushed and arranged were from the same source. "So… everything there was… used for things like that?"

"Yes. No one here has much use for such things, if they even understand what they are." Amargo said and they exchanged a glance. "And most of the papers got snuffled off by the minotaur. He likes to do origami." Juushiro had to put a hand over his face as Shunsui took a deep breath. Origami? "And the tiles got taken by the serpent woman, I think she was going to make a mosaic."

"Oh sweet kami!" Shunsui snorted and started to laugh. Juushiro swallowed a bit of his food, wondering if they should even look. It did sound like the place had been thoroughly trashed. But perhaps the hollows had missed something. "I never imagined you vasto lorde could be so… artistic." That was a great surprise. Amargo shrugged.

"Endless time with very little to do. Even if we're not that good to begin with we get pretty decent after a few centuries. Some of us are brilliant. My sister and I do jewelry and singing, mostly. Would you like to hear a song?" She asked and Shunsui shrugged with a smile as Juushiro nodded. "Dulce! Are you about done? They would like to hear us sing."

"Just about! Hang on. There!" The blue hollow came back into the room, blowing on her claws. "What song?"

"How about the vasto lorde one?" Her sister suggested and she giggled as they both began to sing. Their voices were very pure, harmonizing with the ease of long practice.

_One comes down to explore the place,  
Two more come to make it three,  
Play a while and knock each other down.  
Before striking with deadly intent,  
To see who wears a crown._

_Four enters with a bow and grace,  
Gains a laugh and a jeer,  
As the others pause to mock._

_But it's five that rules the place and proves it with a look.  
Stopping six and seven in their tracks,  
Before they dare to steal his books._

_Vasto lorde in the mountains high,  
Do you dare to take to the heights and fly?  
Raise your pups and play your games,  
What makes you so different from the shinigami then?_

Shunsui lifted his eyebrows a bit at that, but it made Juushiro wonder. What was the difference, when hollows reached this height of evolution? It was dizzying, the things he'd learned in just this short time. He would never have thought hollows were capable of music.

_Eight raises pups to fill the void,  
Left by cold mortal pains.  
Their little hands grip her paws,  
And almost make her whole._

_Nine will kill everything,  
Because he merely can.  
Unless Ten will stop him in his tracks,  
For cares of mortal men._

_Ten sits upon the mountain high,  
Looking into the deep dark sky,  
Seeing all that lays beyond,  
Three worlds touching, twisting fine.  
His knowledge is without peer,  
But what good does it do him?_

_Tell me, what good does it do him?_

_Vasto lorde in the mountains high,  
Do you dare to touch the sky?  
You fight to live yet sometimes wonder why._

_Tell me, why do the dead crave life so much?  
Can you tell me why?_

They formed a round then, repeating the final verse and letting their voices trail off. There was a silence as they just looked at each other, absorbing the meaning of the song.

"Although, to tell you the truth, I don't think of myself as dead." Dulce said, breaking the silence. "I was born here, I've never been anything else. Papi doesn't really think of himself as dead either. The sea monster does and it's very sad. He doesn't seem to believe in being happy."

"Not something we can understand." Amargo waved it away with a flick of her claws. "Tell us about Soul Society. We've never really been there, not like papi. And he won't tell us much about it. Something about corrupting our young, tender minds." That part was said with an eyeroll and Shunsui laughed.

"Ah, you want a story? I have plenty. Let me tell you…" He started with a rather off-color story about his escapades in the Academy. Juushiro listened, smiling. He knew all about it, he'd been there. It was a bit embroidered but not too much. Shunsui had been a wild child when he was younger. The two hollows listened, fascinated, and sometimes Shunsui had to pause to explain basic concepts. But how would they know about things like flowers? Oddly enough, they did know about candy. Apparently, their father had given them some when they were children.

The stories were reciprocated and Shunsui and Juushiro both got to hear about Dulce and Amargo's mother and father. Their mother was dead, eaten by another hollow, but they weren't very distressed by it.

"It was a long time ago. And mami… we loved her but she wasn't quite right." Dulce said thoughtfully as Amargo nodded.

"She tried but she was badly wounded by her past. She wanted us more than anything but when she had us, it seemed hard for her to reach out. Papi tried to make up for it but he wasn't too happy with her." Amargo said reflectively. "They parted on good terms but papi definitely wasn't going to make pups with her again."

"Then she lost her territory to a younger male who didn't want to mate her and died trying to take territory from someone else." Dulce said, scratching herself. "There's only so many dens available in the mountains. Half of them are empty now, though."

"Oh? Why is that?" Juushiro asked and Dulce laughed as Amargo chuckled.

"Oh, you should know shinigami! Aizen. He tried to gather us from the mountains so we fled into the barren wastes. Why should vasto lorde be pawns in a shinigami traitor's schemes? But it didn't work very well… we're… fractious, at best." Amargo said with a soft sigh. "We can live on nothing but the reishi in the wastes, it's so thick. Adjuchas can't live there at all, the pressure of it gradually kills them. But even without needing to feed, well, there's always someone who wants to kill. We predated each other."

"We got through by the skin of our teeth. If papi hadn't helped us with the demon…" Dulce shuddered and Amargo nodded. "He needs to get off his duff and kill that bastard. He's evil." She said firmly and Shunsui gave her a small smile.

"It seems odd to hear a hollow speak of evil. I thought you didn't understand that concept." He said lightly and Dulce sniffed.

"You would think so, shinigami. Evil is torturing your prey before you eat it. Evil is abusing your mate for no reason beyond that you can and it amuses you. Evil is killing without even the intention to eat. Evil is destroying lives and hopes for no reason." She said firmly and Juushiro frowned. "You think we are evil for thinking about eating you? But we are young and hungry. Your deaths would have been swift and clean. What is evil in that?"

"I suppose you have a point. But most hollows I've met never cared about that." Juushiro said, remembering Shiba Kaien with a pang. The hollow that had taken his body certainly hadn't cared about such things. It had made its kills as long and painful as possible.

"It's a vasto lorde thing, and not all of us. Only the ones who are close to whole. Because we are born, Dulce and I are truly whole souls, complete in the same way as a shinigami infant." Amargo said before shrugging. "But it hardly matters. We are what we are and we live as we do. Papi likes to think deep thoughts but I wonder, why?"

"He was the Tenth in your story. Who was the Ninth?" Shunsui mused and Amargo sighed.

"You want us to go through them? One was just the first vasto lorde to ever find the mountains. Two and three are just an old story, two hollows who tried to become King of the vasto lorde and killed each other trying."

"Four is for Cynny. He's such a funny bunny! He bows to the girls and kisses their hands." Dulce said with a giggle and Amargo seemed to bristle a bit.

"You might like him but I think he can go die on a crystal nest. Abandoning us when he found out I was pregnant!" She said firmly and Juushiro winced a bit as Shunsui lifted his eyebrows. Dulce just shrugged.

"You lost it so what does it matter?" She asked with callous indifference as her sister hissed.

"What matters is he's a loser. Anyway, five is the sea monster. The only thing he does is read, when he's not hunting. You ever want to drive him to frothing madness? Ruin a book in front of him." She said and Dulce winced.

"Oh don't! You'll die. Anyway, six and seven is no one really. Just the sea monster is so intimidating when he's angry. The only one I've ever seen stand right up to him was papi and that was _scary._" She said it extremely fervently and Shunsui had a question.

"So this sea monster survived?" He asked and Juushiro knew what he was doing. Getting as much information as he could on these hollows in case it was necessary to purify them. Dulce laughed as Amargo answered.

"Of course. He's a great old one." She paused, looking at him thoughtfully. "Kind of like you. I couldn't tell at first, you were so close to dead, but you're really old and strong aren't you?" She asked and Shunsui smiled and shrugged, neither confirming nor denying. "You're really strong too." She said to Juushiro, who tried to emulate Shunsui, looking down. "And so modest." Her tone was dry. Dulce just shrugged.

"Stronger pups! Whatever. Eight is our mami. Nine is the demon, he's a cocksucking bastard." She said frankly and Shunsui laughed. "Ten is our papi. He knows everything but it's kind of useless most of the time. Even he admits that."

"And he really needs to kill the demon. I wish he'd do it but he says it's not his place to police the vasto lorde. I think he's just a lazy bugger." Amargo said and Juushiro couldn't help but laugh as he gave a glance at Shunsui. His friend and new lover just gave him an innocent smile, as if laziness could be connected to him in no way.

"To be fair, he could be badly hurt. Whatever. The demon will pick a fight he can't win someday." Dulce said with a claw wave. "Hey, let me check those potato things. They might be done." She said and Amargo just lay in the blankets beside them as her sister went to complete that task. "The outside is all black but the inside is gooey. Are they done?"

"I would think so." Juushiro said, a bit bemused as the vasto lorde carried them the potatoes in her hands. "Just put them in the containers." The take out containers would hold the hot sweet potatoes very well. Dulce deposited them before licking off her hands curiously.

"Sweet! Those are nice. You can have them tomorrow. How often do shinigami need to eat? Papi said something about that being really different. We can go weeks between a kill and papi can go even longer." She said, slightly concerned.

"Well, theoretically we can go for quite some time without food. However, that works better for those who are, ah, larger. In normal times we eat several times a day." Shunsui admitted as he finished a last bite of sushi. The two vasto lorde looked at each other.

"Maybe if we made one big trip? Tidbitting it is less safe." Dulce suggested and Amargo nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, but what sort of food?" They discussed it for a moment as Juushiro made a few suggestions. "Okay. We'll find one of those 'grocery stall' things and get enough food to last four days. No meat though?"

"It doesn't keep and you really couldn't hunt down a kido refrigerator." Juushiro said practically and the two vasto lorde nodded. "You could get some for tomorrow but that's all. How will you pay for it?" He asked, knowing they planned to just take it. The two hollows looked at him in disbelief. "You could give the grocer some of those crystals. They might be valuable." He didn't really know that but they would certainly be unusual. The two hollows used them to make all kinds of things. "Just warn them about how sharp they are." That could actually be a positive. Juushiro could easily see someone fashioning the things into knives. They were extremely hard although rather brittle. Not too much use in a real fight, perhaps, but lovely for a showpiece and still quite dangerous.

"Well, alright. It's sort of odd but we do have tons of the things." Amargo said before scooping a few out of a carved stone vase. The work was crude – the girls preferred singing over sculpture – but the crystals inside were pretty enough. "Let's get this done."

"Right!" The two females departed, leaving them alone. For a brief moment Juushiro thought about just leaving… but they would still have to get through that crystal field if they wanted to reach the observatory. Going around would add days to their trip and they had no real supplies. Glancing at Shunsui, he saw the same calculations going through his mind. Then his best friend gave him a smile.

"Well! Since they're gone, you know, I think I might like to explore our new relationship a bit further. What do you say, Juu?" Shunsui said and Juushiro choked.

"Shunsui, they're going to be back! And they'll expect us to…" He couldn't help but blush. But the two vasto lorde wouldn't be amused if their shinigami 'mates' had already exhausted themselves. Shunsui chuckled, his eyes very amused as he pulled Juushiro into a kiss. All his will to resist seemed to dissolve as those warm lips found his.

"I can do two rounds easily, Juu." He murmured and Juushiro swallowed nervously. He'd heard that Shunsui could do far more than that, through the grapevine. But perhaps not easily with his current injuries. "However, I was actually thinking we should talk about it." He whispered so seductively that it took Juushiro a moment to actually comprehend the content of the sentence.

"Talk…?" He said disbelievingly as Shunsui smiled at him. "You… you tease!" He said with a furious blush before punching his lover in the chest. Shunsui winced slightly but didn't pull away. "You really had me going there." He admitted more gently, looking into those warm grey eyes. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, I was wondering if you might want to move in with me." Kyoraku said with a shy smile and Juushiro felt like his mind was coming unglued. Was it really Shunsui saying these things to him? "I know it might seem a bit fast but we've both had these feelings for so long. And I'm not ashamed to admit it."

"I – but how will your family react?" Juushiro asked and almost wished he hadn't, from the way Shunsui's expression darkened. But it had to be said. If anything was going to interrupt their bliss, it was Shunsui's family. He took a deep breath before speaking crisply.

"They can all sit in a fire. I've told them a hundred times before that I wouldn't marry some girl for the sake of an heir." He said firmly and Juushiro was sure he meant that. But he also knew the pressure from his clan had been gradually increasing. He had plenty of cousins so for a while they'd humored Shunsui's quest to find the perfect woman. But what was acceptable at one hundred or even five hundred was a lot less acceptable at a thousand. The Kyoraku clan had a great deal of power and were not shy about using it. "Besides, it will be hard for them to convince anyone to take me if I'm obviously with you. Eh?" Shunsui said with a smile and Juushiro couldn't help but smile back. "Although it might mean some trouble for you and your clan." He said, this time troubled. Juushiro shook his head.

"My clan can look after themselves. We have plenty of allies." He said firmly. They might be a minor clan but the Ukitake family had a good amount of influence, even within the Kyoraku clan. Shunsui nodded, his eyes still dark with worry. "If you really want me to move in with you, I would love to." Just the thought filled him with fizzy joy. Shunsui saw that on his face and grey eyes softened before he was soundly kissed. Juushiro melted into the feeling and marveled at the turnings of fate.

Who would have thought that a death trap and a pair of hollows could finally lead him to true love?

* * *

"…Now, these are the crystal fields." Amargo gestured to the expanse of sand in front of them. "Does anything look different about it to you?" The two shinigami looked over the land but could see nothing unusual. It wasn't like the sand dunes in Hueco Mundo proper, but that was to be expected. This land led up into the mountains.

"It just seems like a field of rather solid sand." Shunsui said uncertainly as Juushiro frowned, trying to spot what the hollows were telling him to look for. He could see the spot where he and Shunsui had plowed through the deceptively solid ground. He could see little rocks… wait. Rocks?

"Are those trails through it?" He suddenly asked, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him. But it seemed like a path had been marked out with rocks making a little border. Dulce clapped her hands in excitement.

"Oh, how clever of you! Yes, that's our path. The others are just dead ends. It takes a lot of patience, marking a new trail!" She said excitedly and Amargo nodded.

"That's true but you can't count on these places being marked. Some are easily avoidable so the vasto lorde near them don't bother. Try again." She ordered and the two shinigami stared at the ground, looking for something out of place. Shunsui was the first to see it.

"Tiny divots." He said and Juushiro blinked. It took him a moment, but then he saw the irregularity too. "It's hard to spot, isn't it? Especially in the moonlight. It looks like a play of shadow, but it's not."

"Well done." Amargo purred, running a hand up his back. Shunsui smiled at her and Juushiro couldn't help but feel a small flash of jealousy. But then a hand was going up his back and he blushed. "That's it precisely. That pattern is characteristic of these fields. When a vasto lorde travels outside their territory, it's one of the things they watch for."

"What are the other things?" Shunsui asked curiously and Amargo tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Waysigns… papi started that. They're very simple symbols and not all vasto lorde know them, but most do." Amargo knelt in the sand and began to sketch with one claw as they paid close attention. Juushiro wished he had something to write with, rather than depending on memory. "We sketch these into the stone. This one means danger ahead. This one means plague. This one – "

"Wait. Do hollows suffer from disease?" Juushiro asked and Dulce shook her head.

"That's kind of a relic from papi's living days. We just use it for a really, really bad place. A place where something bad happened and it's lingering like a smell in the air." She sniffed, rubbing her nose as Amargo continued.

"Hollows do get sick but only when we're badly injured and reiatsu drained. We don't have plagues, normally. Anyway, this means detour and you can put in a direction arrow. That means there's something really annoying but not dangerous ahead and it's better to just go around. This means good hunting…" Amargo went through several more symbols before finishing and wiping the sand clean. "The other big thing vasto lorde look for when they travel is signs of other vasto lorde. We are our own worst enemies."

"Got that right. Want to see how to mark a trail now?" Dulce asked and they both nodded. They were keenly interested in that. "Okay. So you take a cero and you go like this…" They watched as she shot a tiny cero into the crystal field. It failed immediately. "Not a good spot, try again." She tried a different location and the cero shot a decent distance before dissipating. "So you carefully go out…" She demonstrated the technique, carefully shooting off many ceros and marking her backtrail with rocks. Eventually, though, she came to a spot where she could go no further. "Dead end. That happens all the time."

"Yes. But we have a trail already marked. Just follow me." Amargo said as her sister scampered back, following her line of stones. Then they took the marked path, travelling swiftly but not using sonido or shunpo. Even on the path, it would not work so close to the crystals. "One thing… if you know where these things are and an enemy doesn't, you can do real dirt to him."

"Yes! We killed another vasto lorde with these once. He thought he could take our territory and mate us, whether we liked it or not. We showed him!" Dulce said cheerfully and Shunsui smiled approvingly at her.

"Well done. I can see how that would work." He said easily and Juushiro was a touch surprised. After all, they both know how incredibly painful those crystals were. But then, Shunsui deeply disapproved of rape. One of the few times he'd seen his friend completely lose his temper had been over the rape of a young woman in his Division. The man in question had barely survived to receive punishment. Dulce preened a little at the praise but Amargo was startled, glancing at him with big blue eyes.

"Strange. That's almost exactly what papi said. You really are a great old one, aren't you?" She murmured and Shunsui just shrugged with a smile. "Well, up this way." Outside of the crystal field, they broke into sonido and shunpo as the two hollows showed them the way to the observation post.

It was every bit as destroyed as they'd been led to believe. It didn't take long for them to establish that there was absolutely nothing of interest left. Shunsui did amuse himself by taking a rather intricate origami butterfly that the minotaur had left behind. That was about all they could do.

"Even the building isn't worth salvaging." Juushiro said sadly as he saw the ruined tiles, the fixtures that had been torn away and taken. It seemed the vasto lorde had made use of every bit of the place. What was left was nothing but a broken shell.

"Yes. We can't use it. A shame, really. Yama-jii and Mayuri were thinking of establishing a watch on the hollows here." Shunsui said, rubbing his beard before he was interrupted by girlish laughter. "Hmm?" He looked at the two hollows. Dulce just giggled as Amargo shook her head.

"This outpost is in the worst spot for that. Aizen only didn't know because we were all gone, but he put this thing right on the edge of our territory, Cynnbel's and the sea monster's. Cynn might be willing to talk – he's a damned silver tongue – and we're nice enough but the sea monster would be Not Amused by shinigami in the mountains. He'd kill first and talk later. Anyone you sent would be dead meat, unless you wanted to send a great old one. And wouldn't that be kind of a waste? It's not like we're doing anything interesting." She said and Shunsui lifted an eyebrow before nodding.

"I see your point. Well, it seems we have nothing more to do here. But our garganta generator was destroyed with our other supplies. Could we prevail on the lovely ladies to make us one?" Shunsui said lightly but Juushiro's stomach clenched. They'd forgotten this in their deal. Would the hollows use this as an excuse to try to keep them?

"Of course." Amargo said simply and he blinked. Then bright blue eyes met brown, and the blue was laughing. "Did you think we would try to keep you? So silly! You're both well and you burn like beautiful fires now. You would hurt us very badly if we tried, wouldn't you?"

"We like you and want to part on good terms." Dulce said cheerfully and Amargo nodded. "Maybe you can come visit us again someday."

"Perhaps." Juushiro murmured without thinking and Shunsui gave him a startled look as he blushed. "For old times sake." These two hollow girls would always have a fond place in his heart, now. They had brought the two of them together. Shunsui laughed, a full, joy filled sound.

"Ah, Juu! Can you imagine trying to explain the trip to Yama-jii? We just want to catch up…" He said cheerfully as the two hollows opened the hole in reality for them. They stepped inside and Juushiro looked back to see the two vasto lorde waving. Shunsui waved back before the opening closed behind them. They began walking forward, towards the light that was Soul Society.

As pleasant as the past few days had been, Juushiro and Shunsui would both be glad to get home.


	3. Children Come to Call

_Five years later Soul Society time, roughly eighteen Hueco Mundo time._

"This stuff is the shizzle." The young man said approvingly before he tilted back a jar of sake, swallowing the last of it with a long, smooth move of his throat. The young woman beside him was draped over the edge of the building, her tongue poked out of one side of her mouth and her dead white cheeks adorably flushed. Her tongue was a surprising shade of dark blue.

"What does that even mean, anyway?" She managed to say, pulling her tongue back into her mouth. The young man just shrugged. "No, seriously. What does that mean?"

"I think it's supposed to be the sound a fire makes. Fires are awesome." He said after a moment of drunken cogitation. The girl beside him suddenly reared up.

"YES! Fire! We need a fire! Make me a fire!" She commanded and the boy groaned. He could hold his liquor slightly better than his sister and knew that was an awful idea.

"No. We'll blow up the building and have to run away again. Haven't we done enough running today? Seriously, how many people did we piss off exactly? I'm starting to lose count." He asked crabbily and she screwed her lips tightly shut for a moment as she tried to think.

"One… two… three… are we counting that whole mob of shinigami that tried to catch us? I don't know how many there were… oh, where was I?" She muttered and the young man tried to help.

"Three?" He offered and she picked up.

"Three… big mess of shinigami… four… five… um… oh poot." She suddenly puked over the side of the building, which the young man watched with mild interest. "Urk… gwah… pttth…"

"Guess you're done for the night. Let's find a place to den up and sleep this off." He said, hopping to his feet and pulling a scarf over his hair. She mumbled something incoherent, still flopped over the edge of the building. "Come on, put your cloak on. We need to move."

"Okay… brother…" She managed to pull on her cloak. It was enveloping, concealing so many things. They both floated to the ground and began to walk away. As they did, there was a faint tink with their footsteps. Anyone listening would undoubtedly have thought they were wearing hard soled boots.

They weren't, but that was their little secret.

* * *

A few weeks later.

"So when are we going to approach them?" The young woman asked her brother. He grimaced, scratching his cheek for a moment. They were walking casually through the middle of an open air market. Neither of them were the least bit afraid to move so openly. She was wearing a flowing robe that completely concealed her body and face, and glasses to hide her eyes. Her brother was only wearing a tight headdress and a scarf, in addition to more normal clothing. His shirt was cut to reveal a very nice expanse of hard, hairy chest.

"As soon as you figure out a way how to get past the gatekeeper and into the Seireitei." He said frankly and she hissed at him. "What? I can't figure it out. I mean, we can't just go through the wall. It's seki-seki stone, it'd whip our asses in no time."

"I know, it's the gatekeeper. You know, I could use my siren's song." She said and he waved that away.

"That would get us in but it wouldn't last much beyond that. The alarm would go up immediately and we'd be done." He said and she sighed, casually stealing an apple from a nearby stall. The movement was so smooth that the very alert vendor missed it completely. "What's going on over there?" He said, pointing. There was some kind of scuffle going on in one end of the market. Casually walking over they saw a thief being beaten, very badly. "Huh. People are a bit tiffy lately, aren't they?" They would know all about that. With no money and no real knowledge of how to earn any, the two of them had quickly turned to stealing. That profession did have its dangers, though.

"They are." She said before biting into her apple. "Why don't we go hang out at the river? See if we can catch a fish." She suggested and he nodded before they moved off. The fate of the unfortunate thief did not concern them in the least bit. So they didn't see a knife being drawn and blood being spilled. That would have startled them both. The penalties for theft were usually not fatal.

Going to the river, they saw someone familiar sitting on the dock.

"Ryo, hey!" The sister of the pair ran up the dock, her feet clinking against the wood. The enveloping cloak hid even her feet. The boy on the dock, little more than a child really, looked up with irritation. The irritation didn't lessen much as he saw them. "Are the fish biting?"

"No. What do you deadbeats want?" He asked and the two siblings weren't offended. Deadbeat was definitely a good description of what they were doing. Their mami's would be amused and their grandpapi would be putting his head in his hands at the sight.

"Nothing. Want some apple?" She offered him the fruit and he snatched it out of her hands. "Woah! Hungry?" She asked merrily as Ryo bit into the fruit like he thought it might be taken away. He scowled at the siblings, a bit of fruit juice running down his cheek.

"Of course I'm hungry! Everyone is. Haven't you seen how the food prices have gone up?" He asked and they exchanged a glance. "Oh right, you never pay for anything. How could I forget?"

"Yeah, yeah, we're a pair of worthless thieves. Why would the prices of food be going up? The supply getting crunched somewhere?" The boy of the pair asked as the girl lay down on the dock and began idly running her hand through the water. The sleeve of her robe quickly became wet, but she didn't in the least bit care. The younger boy sighed, pushing back a bit of black hair. His fishing pole was wedged firmly between his knees.

"Yeah, the weather is unbelievably bad. Never heard of anything like it." Ryo said shortly, looking at his pole. "Where there isn't drought, there's floods. They say it's the shinigami doing it."

"Huh? Now that makes no sense at all." The brother of the pair sat down beside their semi-friend. "Why would they want to starve people? That's crazy talk."

"They say it's to keep control, get rid of the common scum with high reiatsu. We're the ones who have to eat, and the more reiatsu we have the more we eat. Hell, you two should know that." He said with a small sneer. "You eat like damned pigs." He said roughly and the girl of the pair sighed.

"You know, if you're going to be like that I might not give you this." She said, holding up a wriggling fish. It wasn't huge but it was a reasonable size. Ryo's eyes went wide as he grabbed for it, but she held it just out of reach. Her hands were pure white. "Ah ah! What do you say?"

"Please." He growled and she gave over the fish with a soft, warm laugh. He dispatched it with a single knife blow before setting it aside. "You know, that's why I hate you two. Everything comes right into your hands."

"Not everything." The boy sighed, remembering the gate guard and the dilemma they were facing. "Not everything… really though, I have a question. Who is 'they'?" He asked and Ryo looked at him, confused. "I mean, does 'they' include that moron who works down at the deli? The one who talks all the time and doesn't know a damned thing? Because if he's part of 'they' I'm not sure I want to listen to a damned thing 'they' are saying."

"Hah! That's pretty good. And yeah, he probably is. I'd say 'they' is all the morons and half the smart people." Ryo said and the siblings exchanged a glance. "Whatever. What matters is what people believe and right now, they're believing the rumors. It doesn't help that they do look at us like fucking garbage." He spat into the water. "Fucking nobles."

"Mmm hmm." The girl hummed, not contradicting but not agreeing. Their grandfather had taught them a great deal about nobles and while the boy was often right about that, he often wasn't. Attitudes varied widely among individual nobles. "Well, maybe we'll look into that." Ryo snorted.

"Sure you will. And when the hell are you showing me your face?" He asked, not for the first time, and she laughed. It was a throaty, deliciously feminine sound that made all kinds of promises.

"Never. It's against our religion to see a female before you marry her, remember?" The brother of the pair reminded him. That was, of course, complete balderdash. But their grandpapi had told them that they could get by with all kinds of ridiculous garbage if they just insisted it was religious. People might think it was insane but would let it go on the grounds that dealing with it was just too much trouble. Ryo sneered at them both.

"But it's not against your religion to fuck a girl before marriage? Because I saw her hiking that damned – urk!" The female of the pair kicked him neatly in the back, sending him right into the water.

"You know, screw him. Let's go. I think I have an idea for the gate." The boy of the pair said, pulling himself to his feet and the girl looked at him uncomprehendingly. Then she shrugged as they walked away, ignoring the insults being called behind them.

Ryo envied them far too much to be a true friend, but he was a useful source of information.

* * *

"Hey, we want to go in. You'd like to let us, wouldn't you?" The female of the pair cooed to the huge gate guardian. He just lifted an eyebrow as he looked down at them.

"Yeah… I might be dumb but I'm not that dumb. Get lost." He ordered but she just stood there, looking at him as her brother sniffed and began picking his nose. "And that's gross." He said to the boy, who shrugged as his sister began to sing. As she sang she moved her arms, revealing the two swords in her hands. They were gently curved and glowed with an inner light of delicate blue, reminding the viewer of waves.

Her song was wordless and the gatekeepers' eyes glazed as he listened to it. If he'd been a brighter man, he might have had some hope of escape. But he was the precise opposite of bright and the song ensnared his mind as easily as breathing. When she was sure of her control, the female breathed her intent.

_Let us in. Open the gate. You know you want to. Oh, how you want to._ The desire for that action filled his mind and without further questions, the gate keeper opened the gate, letting the two of them walk through. As he did, the other one turned and pointed his sword. It was bizarrely twisted and difficult to look at, like some kind of dimensional puzzle.

"Jabberwocky!" The boy said and they both took off running. The gate keeper blinked as his mind was released and tried to raise his voice in an alarm.

Tried. Nothing came out except random gibberish. The gate keeper frantically tried to catch them but simply couldn't. They were fast, those two, and vanished like smoke in the air. Other shinigami were attracted by his random wailings but no one could understand a word. Eventually, a taichou came to see what the problem was and broke the shikai power that had silenced the gate keeper. But by that time, the two fugitives were long gone.

It would be a while before anyone found them again.

* * *

"Ah, Juu, it's such a beautiful night." Shunsui said softly, his arms around the man who meant the most to him in the world. Juushiro settled against him, closing his eyes with a smile as he reveled in the feeling of his best friend and lover. "The crescent moon reminds me of Hueco Mundo."

"Yes, it reminds me too." He murmured, looking up at the glowing splendor of it. "Shunsui, I love you." It felt so good to be able to say those words. They didn't say them too frequently… that would ruin them… but tonight, under the crescent moon, felt like the right time. Gentle lips caressed his throat.

"I love you too." Shunsui murmured and he looked into warm brown eyes, just savoring the moment. "Even if it does terribly disappoint my lovely Nanao-chan." He said and Juushiro laughed.

"Keep telling yourself that." He teased as Shunsui grinned. Nanao was actually quite happy to remind Shunsui he was taken whenever the taichou dared flirt. And he did still flirt with the ladies, but now it was just a game. "Oh… a neko? I wonder how that got in." They didn't have any cats in the Ugendo. The fur tended to irritate his lungs, which was a pity because Juushiro quite liked them.

"Quite a large one. It looks like, what's the type? A maine coon." Shunsui said, not really caring. He liked cats but he was far too involved in the man in his arms. Then Juushiro gasped, tensing in his arms and Shunsui's eyes flashed towards the cat.

It was grinning at them in a way no real cat should. Lips parted from teeth all the way back, revealing so many it was insane. Real cats didn't have that many teeth, either. Shunsui released Juushiro and they both stood as the cat slowly vanished, leaving that horrible grin behind, hanging in the air. Then that vanished as well as a voice spoke.

"You are Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Juushiro, correct?" A masculine voice spoke and Juushiro frowned. It sounded oddly familiar. "We just want to talk."

"This seems an odd way to do it, eh?" Shunsui said easily and Juushiro saw his swords were already in his hands. But then, he'd pulled his blade as well. That cat had alarmed them both. "Why don't you come forth and speak?"

"If we did, would you kill us?" The male voice asked and they were both surprised as a female voice suddenly spoke. It sounded like no one they knew, deep and throaty and sexually charged.

"Or would you stuff us with candy like the children we are?" It said and Juushiro blinked in surprise, exchanging a quick glance with Shunsui. "Would you take us in your arms and show us the world?"

"…You are children?" Juushiro asked the unseen voices. They didn't sound like children and for all his skill with reiatsu sensing, he couldn't detect them well. There was a foreign reiatsu in the garden but he was having a hard time pinpointing it. The female voice laughed, sweet and silky.

"Compared to you we are the merest babes."

"We are sexually mature." The male voice added and Shunsui lifted his eyebrows with a small twist of his lips at the phrasing. "But no more than that. You would call us children."

"Ah, I see." He murmured as Juushiro frowned. "Academy age then? But what business do you have with us?" He asked and the male voice spoke again. There was something so familiar about it. Juushiro knew he should know but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"We have much business with you. We are the seed you planted in the soil of bones, finally come to bloom. But would you like to see the flower of your actions?" That puzzled them both and Shunsui frowned, reaching up with his wakizashi to push back his straw hat. Then he smiled slightly.

"You sound like my zanpakuto, always talking in riddles. Crazy bone and flower demon… is that what you refer to? My power?" He asked lightly and the voices both laughed.

"He likes to talk in riddles sometimes, like the cat. Our mami's tried to beat it out of him but it was hopeless. Of course, grandpapi encouraged him. He loves a good riddle. Do you like riddles too?" The female voice asked and Juushiro responded.

"I'm less than fond of them in the middle of the night. Why are you here?" He asked bluntly and there was a pause from the voices.

"We're afraid to tell you." The female voice whispered and they both exchanged a glance. Then suddenly the male voice spoke.

"Did you know the peasants in the Rukongai blame you for the floods and droughts?" He asked and Shunsui blinked as Juushiro frowned. They had heard of rumors of riot building in the Rukongai but they hadn't heard that. "They say you are trying to starve out the gifted among them."

"They see the wagons coming and going and say the Seireitei never lacks for food, that you keep it all to yourselves while their children starve to death." The female voice said. Juushiro stiffened at the thought.

"That's ridiculous! No one would ever do such a thing. And the prices for food are going up here, too!" He responded hotly as Shunsui nodded. In their duties as taichou, they oversaw the unit accounts. So they knew all about the rising food prices. The female voice sighed.

"We know. It makes our lives difficult, when food is guarded well. But perhaps you should look into it before some of your fellows come to bad ends." The woman suggested and Juushiro's lips tightened as Shunsui made a small 'hmm' sound. Then his friend and lover spoke.

"I doubt you came her for that. This is just a distraction from your purpose, isn't it? Why are you here talking to us?" There was a long pause before the male voice spoke.

"We're too afraid. You could destroy us… maybe tomorrow." And suddenly, the sense of presence was gone. Juushiro frowned as they both lowered their blades. Then his eyes widened as he suddenly realized why the male voice had bothered him.

"Shunsui, that boy… he sounded like you." He suddenly said and grey eyes widened. They exchanged a glance as the meaning of the meeting truly penetrated.

"Oh sweet kami. It can't be that, can it?" He protested as Juushiro bit his lip. "It hasn't been long enough!"

"Doesn't time move differently? Remember how when we got back we'd only been gone two days?" Juushiro had been surprised at that. Shunsui put a hand over his face, struggling to control his reaction. "No wonder they were afraid." Surely they knew that their shinigami parents or parent would be tempted to destroy them on the spot. Shunsui gathered himself before smiling slightly.

"Well, we'll worry about that when the time comes. Perhaps we should look into the weather, eh Juu?" He said lightly and Juushiro blinked. Did Shunsui really think someone could be manipulating it? "Perhaps someone is spreading rumors for a purpose."

"Ah, perhaps." That could certainly be true. Putting the two strangers out of mind, they worked on determining their next action.

If someone was poisoning the Rukongai against them, they needed to do something.


	4. Everything Happens

A cloaked figure ran through the streets of the Seireitei, using sonido. Unfortunately, the crowd of shinigami following close behind had shunpo, so she was having trouble losing them. Cries of 'arrancar' followed her, which was not correct. But there was no way her pursuers could know that.

"Brother, run!" She cried as she ran towards the figure sorting through a garbage bin. Her brother took one look at what was happening and grey eyes widened before he joined her in her flight.

"What in the seven hells did you do?!" He demanded as they both ran for their lives. She was panting as she answered. It was summer and her cloak could sometimes get very hot.

"I needed to bathe! I thought I was alone but someone caught a look and the next thing I knew they all showed up!" She said and he growled. Bathing was a huge problem. In Hueco Mundo they'd taken sand baths but here, they'd discovered the joys of water. And there wasn't much sand to be had so water was the only option. They ran for a while before something suddenly occurred to the boy of the pair.

"…Why are we running? They're way less powerful than we are!" He said to his sister who considered that for a moment as they continued running.

"…You know, you're right!" The two of them slowed to a halt before slowly turning to regard their pursuers. The mob of low level shinigami, who had been so confident when their prey was running, pulled back. They sensed trouble in the air. The female of the two pulled her sword before muttering something. The single sword abruptly parted into two with a small, melodic chime.

"Wash them away!" She commanded and water exploded from the tips of her swords. The shinigami in front of them screamed a bit as the torrential wave swept them up and away from the pair. She giggled as her brother picked his nose.

"Well, that was easy. But let's go before someone more powerful finds us." He said and glanced around before quickly climbing a wall. His sister followed, her feet having more difficulty finding purchase on the stone but still managing. Then they sonido'd away, leaving the whole thing behind them. The shinigami would report what had happened, of course, and the Sixth Division would begin investigating. But the power they would find was clearly that of a shinigami zanpakuto, although an unknown spirit. Arrancar did not have such things so they would conclude that the men who'd observed the female of the pair had been mistaken. Although it wouldn't end at that. Anyone with a shikai should be part of a Division, and since the spirit was unknown, they still had a problem.

The children were oblivious to all that, though. They had a far more pressing concern… lunch.

They were still growing and food was always on their minds.

* * *

"Juu?" Shunsui asked as he looked out the window, his lips curving into a small smile. "I think Kusajishi-san has outdone herself."

"Huh?" Juushiro looked up from the tea he was making. "What do you… mean…" His eyes widened as he looked out the window. "…Shunsui! Stop staring at them!" He snapped with a blush. But his best friend and lover was unashamedly ogling the bare breasts of the two mermaids in the lake. Juushiro looked them over, trying to avoid looking at the parts that really should have been covered.

The two mermaids were gorgeous blonds. Their faces were fine featured and aristocratic, their eyes a beautiful blue. They were perched on some rocks and he could see the scaling of their bodies, which was shades of blue and green. The only thing they wore was a bit of jewelry, earrings of fine pearls.

"Perhaps we should go see what they want, eh? They're much easier on the eyes than the cat." Shunsui said cheerfully and Juushiro nodded. It was reasonably obvious who wanted their attention.

As they walked outside the mermaids became excited, sliding off their rocks and swimming to the shore. Soon they were both looking at them hopefully, bright blue eyes round and appealing. Juushiro wondered what they wanted. From the looks of it, they definitely wanted something. Then they spoke and it was an incredibly odd, two part harmony.

/We hate to ask this of you/  
/But do you have anything/  
/For a sick stomach? The cat is ill/

"Ill?" Shunsui asked, still looking at their breasts with a smile. "Did he eat some bad meat?" He asked, joking, but the mermaids took his question seriously.

/Yes/  
/The alleycat scavenges in trash cans/  
/And found something unsavory/  
/He ate it anyway because he was hungry/  
/But pays for it now/

"Oh. Is he going to be alright?" Juushiro asked, concerned, as Shunsui frowned. The mermaids both shrugged.

/He is strong/  
/He has had to be/  
/But he cannot keep down his food/  
/Perhaps/  
/A soothing tea?/

"We have things like that. Let me get it for you." Shunsui offered and the two mermaids nodded. Juushiro gently felt out their reiatsu and wasn't surprised at what he was sensing. This was a zanpakuto spirit, very powerful and clearly water based. The two mermaids turned their attention on him, their blue eyes laughing.

/That tickles/ They said and he blushed before asking them.

"Doesn't your wielder know that shinigami do not normally manifest their zanpakuto in front of others?" He asked. It was a taboo, much like giving your sword to someone else. Their blades were part of their souls and considered very precious. The two mermaids shrugged.

/No/  
/She doesn't/  
/They are both strangers to proper behavior/  
/The cat picks his nose in public/  
/All the time/  
/You will have a hard time civilizing them/ Then there was a spate of giggling and Juushiro smiled to himself.

"I'm looking forward to it. They're the children of those two vasto lorde, aren't they?" He asked and mermaids just looked at him, not confirming or denying. Then Shunsui came out with a bag.

"This is full of soothing herbs. Just add a bit to hot water, it should help." He offered the bag to one of the mermaids, who took it with webbed hands.

/Thank you/  
/We appreciate it/

Then they swam away, heading for the far shore. Juushiro and Shunsui both saw a cloaked figure for a moment. That figure took the bag before vanishing with the characteristic sound of sonido.

"You know, I wonder. Are they eating from trash cans?" Shunsui mused and Juushiro winced. It hadn't occurred to him to wonder how their wayward children were supporting themselves.

"We need to bring them home." He said firmly, his resolve hardening. They'd reported all the events to Yamamoto years ago, leaving nothing out although it had been tempting. But at the time there had been no actual rule about hollows and shinigami breeding, likely because arrancar were so new and vasto lorde were incredibly rare. There was a rule against it now, but no one was going to punish them after the fact. And the children were entirely innocent.

They needed to be protected from the dangers of the world.

* * *

Well, somewhat innocent.

"Oh yes!" The female of the pair gasped as the shinigami behind her took her, his hands caught up in her cloak as he ground against firm, dead white buttocks. Not too far away her brother leaned against a wall, drinking sake and looking bored with the proceedings. He was just keeping an eye on his sister, which was wise given that she was dead drunk and the man behind her was, if anything, drunker. "Faster!" She cried and he obliged, taking her with quick, hard thrusts. "UH!" Her body shuddered as she reached her orgasm. The man behind her kept moving before grunting as he also found completion. As they came down from their lust filled haze, though, her partner started to notice a few things.

"Why d'you have feet like a horse?" he asked, looking down at the bared legs. The hooves and the odd way they were hinged was fairly obvious. Her brother answered for her, since she was nearly incoherent.

"Because she's a mare." He said and to the drunken man, that seemed to make perfect sense.

"Oh. And why's there bones?" He asked, squinting at those legs. The bones ran from the hooves up to her knees. Again, the boy answered.

"Because she's boney." He said, confident that the sake would prevent the man from caring or remembering in the morning.

"Oh." Again, that seemed perfectly reasonable in his drunk-out-of-his-mind state. "Alright. Have fun." He said, smacking the girl on the butt before pulling up his own pants and wandering back towards the tavern, muttering something about sake. The boy of the pair just shook his head before setting about peeling his sister off the pavement. She was mumbling something about needing to puke, not to his surprise.

"Seriously, you need to learn to hold your sake. And I need to get laid." He muttered, carrying her away. "You're really annoying, you know? It seems like all you have to do to get fucked is stand there and breathe heavy." Even with the robes in the way, his sister had a sexual allure that drew the men in.

"He was cute. I want to keep him." His drunken sister said and he quirked an eyebrow at her, unintentionally mimicking his father.

"I didn't think bald was your thing?" He said and she just mumbled about it growing on her. "Seriously, I don't want to be the responsible one anymore. As soon as we finally get our shit together and talk to your papi, whoever he is, I'm going to put you all on him." They really weren't sure about her paternity. She was almost identical to her mami, unlike himself.

Halfway to their current home, a supposedly sealed attic in a rather nice house, his sister puked her guts out. Sighing, he held her head up and prevented her from face planting into the mess. His own cheeks were flushed from the sake he'd been enjoying but he wasn't even close to drunk, despite drinking more than she had. Finally he managed to get her home and into the nest of blankets they called a bed. He curled up with her, sharing body heat without a qualm.

They were used to hollow ways and that meant living in close quarters at all times. They would continue their activities in the morning

* * *

A few days later.

"What's going on? Everyone's running around." The girl of the pair asked, moderately worried. The boy of the pair had stiffened like a terrier on point. He was sensing trouble building and wanted to become part of it. His eyes narrowed as his zanpakuto spoke to him.

"The cat is speaking in riddles again but I think our papi's are in trouble." He said after a moment and the girl looked at him before reaching up and chewing on a thumbnail.

"Our papi's are way more powerful than we are. What could we do to help?" She asked and after a moment, he shrugged.

"I don't know. Why don't we see what's happening?" He suggested. The dome of power that had formed was really quite obvious to their senses and powerful, too. It was quite likely there was nothing they could do but maybe, just maybe there was.

They both crept up on the shinigami working on the dome. It wasn't hard. Between their skill at stalking, which was finely honed and the shinigami themselves, who were highly distracted, they got quite close. So they were able to hear a fascinating conversation.

"…Keyed to close blood relatives. We've already sent a messenger to the Kyoraku clan. They have several members who might be able to help. However, the Ukitake clan does not…" The two children exchanged glances and the boy of the pair grinned widely.

"I have no idea what's going on but I'm going to do it!" He was suddenly done with being the responsible one. He could hold his drink but his sense of adventure? Never. She tried to grab his arm but missed and ended up running after him instead.

"Look out!"

"Coming through!" The shinigami turned in surprise and one man wearing a white band around his head yelped as a hoof hit him on the top of his head, the girl using him as a springboard to jump directly into the dome. She passed through easily as a dream, as if it wasn't even there. Her brother took a completely different tactic, sliding between a big man's legs and going right into the golden glow. "Later!" They both called back before running into the distance. The shinigami looking at the dome stared after them in disbelief before someone spoke.

"What was that…?"

Inside the dome, things were interesting, to say the least.

"Property damage to the max. If we did something like this, we'd both be lynched." Was the boy's opinion as he glanced around. They had certainly been chased by angry mobs for far less. The girl sniffed.

"I don't think that guy much cares." It wasn't hard to pinpoint the centre of the devastation. The power radiating from that one figure was immense. "This is going to get ouchy." She predicted gloomily but her brother didn't the least bit care.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's scout." They quickly circled, trying to figure out what was happening. It was a bit hard for them. The stranger was a big man with blonde hair and he was talking about something they didn't remotely understand. From the sounds of it, it had happened a long, long time ago and he was still pissed off about it. What got more of their attention was their fathers.

Shunsui and Juushiro were both being held tightly by some kind of restraints, linking them to massive pillars of stone. The two children had no idea how it'd been done in the first place, but even the strongest of the great old ones were not infallible. Their grandpapi had proven that to them just once, accidentally getting a crystal stuck through his foot. The howl had been impressive. This, though, was rather worse than a simple misstep in a crystal field.

"Okay…. Um… attack?" The boy suggested and the girl shot him a disgusted look.

"We need a backup plan if that doesn't work!" She hissed and he frowned, rubbing his goatee with his thumb.

"Er… how about this? We attack and try to kill this guy. If that's not going to work we use a big ass cero to try and blow those pillars up and get our papi's free." He suggested and her eyes widened.

"That could kill them!" She protested and he shrugged.

"I know. That's why it's plan B. You down?" He asked and she thought about it a moment before nodding.

"I guess that works. Alright, let's make it happen!" She said before shucking her cloak. Her brother pulled away his scarves. They would go in as they truly were. "Sing Sweetly, Daburusairen!" _Double Siren. _Her sword parted into two, taking on a gentle, wavelike appearance.

"Grin, Cheshakyatto." _Cheshire Cat._ The boy's sword took on the twisted, dimensionally odd appearance. It was strange, just like the spirit dwelling within. "I'll take the lead. Rabbit hole."

The person who had caused all this was taken completely by surprised. He missed the black and purple hole opening above him. Instincts screamed a warning, though, and he was just barely able to catch a blow that would have bisected him. Wide blue eyes met grey before a torrential wave of water tried to wash him away. He leapt over it, which unfortunately for him brought him directly into the true attack the girl had been launching. Little kisses of dark blue hit his skin before exploding, raising blood. Unfortunately for the girl, his spiritual pressure was much higher than hers. An attack that would have been fatal to a basic shinigami was merely painful to him.

"Who the hell?!" He roared as the brother and sister closed in, double teaming him with long practice. But he held them off easily, just as their grandfather would have done. "What… who are you?" They parted long enough for the two of them to speak.

"I'm Robin." The boy said, finally announcing his name as the stranger stared at them in confusion. He was taking in their hollow features, and there was plenty to take in.

"I'm Junea." The girl announced, her blades at the ready. "Let our papi's go!" She demanded and his confusion melted into disbelief and derision.

"Your fathers? Seriously? KYORAKU! You had a love child with a hollow?" He said, sneering at Robin. He bristled, annoyed. "Sure does look like you… but who cares. I'm Hadzoru Mirako, and I'm going to kill you. I'm sure they'll love watching that." He said with deliberate cruelty and Junea scowled as Robin sneered.

"You can try. Let's play cards!" He announced, which confused his opponent. "Clubs!" He shouted before he leapt to the attack. His sword led the way, but it was not actually his primary attack. No, that was the kick he attempted to land. The man blocked that kick with his arm as he handled the sword, not expecting that rather weak kick to be at all impressive.

He was surprised beyond measure when the kick propelled him away, as if it had ten times the force behind it that it actually did. And the girl used her water powers, shaping them into tight blasts and tossing them at him. He dodged easily but the explosions when they hit the ground were massive. Mirako's eyes narrowed as he realized what was happening.

"I see you like to play games like your father. Diamonds!" He had a very good idea of what that would do. The two children dodged as he slashed at them. His sword happened to catch the edge of a building and the power of the strike was magnified, tearing it apart. The boy smiled, not at all put out by his opponent learning how to play the game.

"Yes, you've got it! But there's two more suits." He said merrily before shifting things again. "Hearts!"

Hearts was a much harder game to master and the man was puzzled as dozens of hearts appeared on the ground. Then his eyes went wide as the boy leapt onto one. It propelled him in the direction the heart was pointing and he hit another heart, using it to switch directions and also amplify his speed. The boy was a deadly blur when he hit his opponent, who managed to halt the sword but not the feet that impacted him in the gut. Blood flew out of his mouth as the girl hit him. She knew how hearts worked and how to exploit it just as well as her brother. They were both very pleased. They had hurt the man badly, and they knew it.

Unfortunately, he knew it too. And he had something they didn't.

"Enough of these stupid games! Rain down, Tezcatlipoca! BANKAI!" There were matching shrieks of pain as the sky suddenly went dark and lightning slashed down, dancing over the two with deadly intent. It was not at all unfamiliar – their grandfather's power worked in exactly the same way – but that was no help. They'd never been able to counter his power, either. The hearts were ripped off the ground and tossed away, overwhelmed by a power that was much greater than their master could use.

The two children were tossed away, hitting the ground so hard they left small craters. The boy groaned, his arms spread wide and his eyes tightly closed, his body feeling completely battered. His sister was barely clinging to consciousness, desperately trying to push herself up on arms that trembled wildly.

"I think… plan B… is a go…" She said as he grunted before shoving himself up. They were both staggering, clearly in pain and completely outclassed by their opponent. The boy reached up to wipe a bit of blood off his face before holding out his hand, as his sister rubbed a hand over her chest, gathering up red dots before doing the same. Power began to build in their hands and Mirako noticed.

"What the hell are you brats doing?" He asked, drawing his lightnings in as he prepared to meet whatever they would do. Then his eyes widened as he abruptly realized what they were attempting. "No!" He lashed out, but too late as the two of them released.

"Gran Rey Cero!" The twin explosions of energy were massive. Their mothers had not been able to teach them much about shinigami zanpakuto. Their grandfather had taught them the nature of the weapons and the way to achieve shikai, but he knew absolutely nothing useful about bankai. He did, however, know everything there was to know about hollow abilities. They knew how to form the most powerful of cero, although it lacked the kind of power that an ancient could put behind it.

That was a good thing. If they'd been throwing out that kind of power, Shunsui and Juushiro would certainly have died. The more modest version was enough to tear apart their bindings without killing them, although they did suffer injuries. The man behind all this was absolutely outraged.

"YOU LITTLE FUCKERS!" His bankai lashed out, catching them in tendrils of electricity and making the children scream. "I'm going to – " Whatever he'd been going to do had to be left unsaid. A black blade went for his face, closely followed by screaming bolts of electricity. He whirled, dropping the children in favor of far more deadly opponents. Utterly spent, the two half-hollows just let the battle roll over them.

They had nothing more left to give.


End file.
